<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>On A Magical Night by endrega_Turtlesse</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28264959">On A Magical Night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/endrega_Turtlesse/pseuds/endrega_Turtlesse'>endrega_Turtlesse</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 20:46:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,277</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28264959</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/endrega_Turtlesse/pseuds/endrega_Turtlesse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What better way is there to celebrate Christmas than to walk to the Christmas market in the falling snow, with the person you love the most in this world?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clint Barton/Phil Coulson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>MCU Christmas Exchange</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>On A Magical Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorTrekLock/gifts">DoctorTrekLock</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was written for the MCU Christmas Exchange for doctortreklock. I hope you like it, and happy holidays!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The snow was gently falling once again by the time Clint declared himself ready. He’d spent way too long dithering over which scarf and hat to choose, and which amulet to pin to his chest, but Phil couldn’t fault him. He couldn’t even fake irritation. Clint deserved this and so much more.</p>
<p>Phil greeted Clint with a small smile when he finally joined him at the door, and Clint laced their fingers together as they left. They stepped out into a New York of fairy tales. Snow glistened on the ground, new from that morning so the carriages hadn’t yet broken it up. It sat on lampposts, on benches, on letter boxes; it adorned the doorways of shops and the sills of windows. The light from the lamps reflected off the snow, throwing a million sparkles into the air when it bounced off the still falling snowflakes.</p>
<p>The falling snow let a hush fall over the ever awake city, and Phil couldn’t help but let his hand squeeze Clint’s. They’ve come a long way since the early days, and right at that moment he felt grateful beyond belief.</p>
<p>He glanced over at Clint, catching Clint looking at him, too, and he chuckled.</p>
<p>“Come on, Hawkeye,” he murmured. “I promised you a Christmas market.”</p>
<p>Clint leaned over to peck Phil on the lips before he murmured, “Well let’s get going, then.”</p>
<p>The world around them felt like it had come to a stop, just for their sake. Everything was quiet and still, and for once Phil could ignore the ever-present chance of trolls quietly lurking in alleyways and little fairies flitting with information from informants to mob boss. Today, it wasn’t their job; it was Christmas. Glancing over, he saw the same rare but oh so precious calm on Clint’s face. Just for this one evening, the world stopped for them.</p>
<p>They didn’t hurry, their steps meandering and slow, almost silent even without effort. There weren’t many footprints in the snow, and no one on the streets – not exactly a surprise, this far out of the market, but it made everything feel even more like a whole different world. It was only strengthened by the quiet and the dark of the buildings around them, only broken up by the candles and some more modern lamps, burning against evil.</p>
<p>“I’ll never get used to electricity,” Clint grumbled, maybe catching Phil looking.</p>
<p>“Old man,” Phil poked at Clint with his elbow. “Where is your famed flexibility?”</p>
<p>“You’re mistaking my physical flexibility for mental,” Clint told him haughtily. “I’ll remind you tonight, you’ll see.”</p>
<p>Phil laughed, and Clint looked so pleased with himself.</p>
<p>“I bet you’ll do,” Phil leaned close to whisper in Clint’s ear. “I bet you’ll be rewarded for it, too.”</p>
<p>Clint swallowed, eyes slightly wider, and Phil smiled, satisfied.</p>
<p>The streets started to fill with people as they got closer to the market, the snow slowly filling with footprints. Clint let go of Phil’s hand to snuggle close to him, and they kept calm watch of those around them together.</p>
<p>“She’s a sorcerer,” Clint nodded at a woman, huddled in a scarf even larger than Clint’s, and Phil smiled.</p>
<p>“Yeah?” he played along.</p>
<p>“Mmhm,” Clint agreed. “See her coat? Scorch marks. I bet she was trying a new spell.”</p>
<p>Phil hummed.</p>
<p>“Alright,” he nodded. “See those kids?” he turned Clint subtly towards a family. “Their parents are non-magical, but they’re about to present.”</p>
<p>Clint’s eyebrows raised.</p>
<p>“And how do you know that?” he asked, turning to Phil.</p>
<p>“Their hands are sparkling,” Phil replied smugly.</p>
<p>Clint turned back to the kids, but Phil’s eyes remained on him. He saw the exact moment Clint saw what he had, as Clint’s mouth fell open. Phil’s smile grew.</p>
<p>Then Clint’s eyes narrowed.</p>
<p>“Okay, but the younger one will have more magic,” he declared, and Phil looked back at the kids, surprised.</p>
<p>“How do you know?”</p>
<p>“Her hands have more sparkles,” Clint said smugly, smirking at Phil. “I bet you didn’t see that, old man.”</p>
<p>Phil’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t rise to the challenge.</p>
<p>“I’ll trust your eyes,” he said simply, and had the pleasure of watching Clint’s face melt.</p>
<p>“Sap,” Clint muttered, and Phil laughed softly.</p>
<p>“One last round?” he offered.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Clint nodded. They walked in silence for another block, looking at the passers-by.</p>
<p>Suddenly Clint’s hold on Phil tightened. “That man,” he nodded, grinning.</p>
<p>Phil narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but at Clint’s nudge he looked. The man in question was short and stout, in a long, fur-lined coat and a tall hat. All in all, he looked entirely unremarkable.</p>
<p>“Who is he, then?” Phil looked back at Clint.</p>
<p>“He’s clearly three goblins in a coat,” Clint exclaimed proudly, and Phil burst out laughing.</p>
<p>“Oh my god,” he wheezed out, Clint watching proudly. “You win. I can’t top that.”</p>
<p>Clint grinned and tucked him close again.</p>
<p>“Of course I win,” he murmured into Phil’s ear. “I made you laugh.”</p>
<p>Phil’s ears heated up and he ducked his head, but Clint didn’t call attention to it. He simply hugged Phil close and continued walking, and at that moment Phil couldn’t have loved him more.</p>
<p>As the throng of people grew, the snow stopped falling. The air instead became filled with laughter and good-spirited jostling, and after just a few hundred yards more they were at the market. At the edge, glaringly decorated tents were set up that of course drew Clint’s attention, but deeper towards the centre Phil could see wooden stalls that would be more to his taste. Still…</p>
<p>“So, which tent first?” he nudged Clint, who turned to him with a sheepish grin.</p>
<p>“You knew I’d want to see those, didn’t you?”</p>
<p>“Well, you can take the boy out of the circus…” Phil trailed off and was gratified when Clint laughed.</p>
<p>“Okay, yeah,” Clint leaned against Phil. “Let’s see if they have any fortune tellers. That’s always fun.”</p>
<p>They did, indeed, have fortune tellers, several, in fact. Phil watched bemusedly as Clint went into all of their tents and came out all of them grinning.</p>
<p>“It’s so fun making them splutter,” Clint linked his arm with Phil’s as his hands continued to gesticulate. “They all expect either a wide-eyed believer or a sceptic coming to scoff at them. They don’t know what to do when someone plays their own game against them.”</p>
<p>“And I expect you used that freely,” Phil hid a smile.</p>
<p>“I would do nothing else,” Clint nodded gravely, but his smile soon broke free. “Alright, your turn. What do you want to see?”</p>
<p>In the end, they spent hours at the market. They visited the amulet makers, and pointedly did not keep an eye out for potential counterfeits. They went ice skating on the little ring in the middle, then had mulled wine to warm up. Clint tried every single one of the sweets they came across, and Phil stopped at every stall that sold artifacts. All in all, they may have spent more than they would have on any other day, but they were light of heart and light of spirits, and that, in Phil’s book, was always worth it.</p>
<p>The walk home was even slower, tired but satisfied, not wanting to end this evening just yet. Just as they left the tumult of the market, snow started falling once again, coating the night in a soft blanket. Phil took Clint’s hand once more, but Clint shrugged him off to instead curl his arm around Phil’s shoulders.</p>
<p>“This was nice,” he said, soft. “Thank you for indulging me.”</p>
<p>“It was,” Phil smiled at him. “You’re very welcome. And thank you for letting me indulge you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Kudos and comments sustain me. Don't you want to feed me?</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>